In another inspring example of indigenisation of defence equipment, 5 Metre Short Span Bridge was formally handed over to the Indian Army on 20 March 2019 in a ceremony at the Talegaon facility of Larsen & Toubro Limited.

The following is the text of this speech of Shri N.K. Singh, Chairman, Fifteenth Finance Commission at the 2nd International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, being organised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in New Delhi:

“It is indeed an honour and privilege that the National Disaster Management Authority has asked me to address the inaugural session of the International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure.

· “The Commission may consider proposing measurable performance-based incentives for States, at the appropriate level of government, in following areas (i) Achievements in implementation of flagship schemes of Government of India, disaster resilient infrastructure, sustainable development goals, and quality of expenditure; (ii) Progress made in sanitation, solid waste managementand bringing in behavioural change to end open defecation.

As part of its visit to the different states across the country before submitting its recommendations, the Fifteenth Finance Commission shall be visiting the State of Mizoram on 25-26 March, 2019. This will be the 20th State that the Commission will be visiting.

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has greeted the people on the eve of Holi. In a message, he said that the festival of colours Holi, celebrated with traditional fervor and enthusiasm throughout the country, is a celebration of the victory of good over evil.

The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has advised the media to present a report card on the performance of parties in an objective manner to enable people make an informed choice during elections.

The two-day International Workshop on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (IWDRI) successfully concluded here today. Experts from 33 countries representing a wide variety of development and disaster risk contexts, multilateral development banks, the United Nations, the private sector, academia, policy think tanks and other stakeholders participated in the workshop.

The ships of First Training Squadron of Indian Navy (Sujata, Sarathi and Shardul) operating in the Southern Indian Ocean were diverted to Port Beira, Mozambique based on request received from the Government of Mozambique to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to the local population post the devastation caused by cyclone 'IDAI' which struck the coast of Mozambique on 15 Mar 19. INS Sujata along with ICGS Sarathi arrived at Port Beira morning of 18 Mar 19 whilst INS Shardul arrived on 19 Mar 19 and are providing necessary support to the local administration.

Election Commission of India has appointed two eminent former Civil Servants Sh. Shailendra Handa & Ms. Madhu Mahajan as Special Expenditure Observers for the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. While Sh. Shailendra Handa ex-IRS (1980) has been deployed in Maharashtra, Ms. Madhu Mahajan ex-IRS (1982) has been deployed in Tamil Nadu.

Election Commission of India today had in-depth interactive session with representatives of various Social Media Platforms and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on the usage of Social Media ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections 2019.

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare with the officials from National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reviewed the current situation, state preparedness and action taken to deal with West Nile Fever (WNF) in Mallapuram district, Kerala, today.

The 14th CII-EXIM Bank Conclave on India-Africa Project Partnerships concluded in New Delhi today. The three-day conclave was organised by the Ministry of Commerce inassociation with Confederation of Indian Industry and EXIM Bank of India.

GST Council in the 34th meeting held on 19th March, 2019 at New Delhi discussed the operational details for implementation of the recommendations made by the council in its 33rd meeting for lower effective GST rate of 1% in case of affordable houses and 5% on construction of houses other than affordable house.

Ministry of Steel organized a two-day Vigilance Conclave in New Delhi which concluded today. The Conclave was aimed at sensitizing the officials of Steel PSUs on the basic principles and procedures to be followed while taking important administrative and commercial decisions relating to various functions including procurements, contracts, personnel and finance.

Bunia is the second-largest city in eastern Congo to confirm a case of the haemorrhagic fever during the current outbreak, which was declared last August and is believed to have killed 610 people and infected 370 more to date.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the outbreak was concentrated in two areas and could be stopped by September, but poor security in Congo’s militia-ravaged east and community resistance to health workers continue to hamper the response.

The confirmed case in Bunia is a six-month-old infant, whose parents appear to be well, Congo’s health ministry said. Investigations are underway to identify how the child was infected, it added.

The cities of Butembo, which has a slightly larger population than Bunia, and Beni, which is slightly smaller, have also experienced Ebola cases.

The current outbreak is the second-deadliest in history behind the 2013-16 epidemic in West Africa that is believed to have killed more than 11,000 people.

Five Ebola centres have been attacked since last month, sometimes by armed assailants. The violence led French medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) to suspend its activities at the epicentre of the outbreak last month.

"We're not talking about removing them. We're talking about leaving them for a substantial period of time, because we have to make sure that if we do the deal with China that China lives by the deal," Trump told reporters on the south lawns of the White House.

Washington and Beijing are battling over the final shape of an agreement that both sides have said they would like to reach, with American officials demanding profound changes to the Chinese industrial policy.

Asked about the progress in the trade talks, the US president said, "We're getting along with China very well. President Xi is a friend of mine.

The deal is coming along nicely. We have our top representatives going there this weekend to further the deal." The world's two largest economies are locked in a trade war since Trump imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items from China in March last year, a move that sparked fears of a global trade war.

Trump imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 per cent on USD 250 billion of Chinese goods. In response, China, the world's second largest economy after the US, imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on USD 110 billion of American goods "No president has ever done what I've done with China.

China had free reign over our country, taking out USD 500 billion a year for many years. We actually rebuilt China, in the truest sense of the word. We rebuilt China," he added.

The Fall Armyworm pest is continuing to sweep across the globe, having moved eastwards from its native Americas onto Africa before arriving in Asia only last summer.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has convened a three-day meeting of international experts in Bangkok and officials from affected countries, who began discussing what to do about stopping the onward march of the crop-guzzling insects, and limiting the devastation they cause.

"We are here today ? together ? because we share a growing sense of alarm ? but also to learn from each other, particularly from those countries who've already been responding to their own infestations," said Kundhavi Kadiresan, Assistant Director-General and FAO Regional Representative for Asia and the Pacific.

Kadiresan said nations need to work together because this is a "pest that has no respect for international boundaries, threatens our food security, our economies, domestic and international trade, and of course the smallholder farmer who wakes up one morning to a cash crop under attack".

Fall armyworm have been moving steadily east since 2016 and caused up to USD 3 billion-worth of damage to crops across Africa, a UN news release said.

The insect lays eggs which develop fast into grubs, which can devastate crops such as maize, rice and sugarcane, overnight. India began to suffer the effects of the flying invaders in July, and the insects have now reached Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and China's Yunnan province, FAO said.

In the case of Sri Lanka, there were reports that up to 40,000 hectares had been infested, damaging some 20 per cent of its crops. China is the biggest maize producer in Asia, and second largest producer globally.

"When Fall Armyworm made landfall in India, its arrival did not come as a complete surprise, we were not caught unaware. And that's a good start ? indeed it was a good head start," Kadiresan said.

The Plant Protection Commission for Asia and the Pacific began raising awareness about the threat early last year, sharing key information on the pest, its spread towards Asia, and how to manage it sustainably in case of infestation.

Once an infestation is confirmed, governments are initiating efforts to continue to raise awareness and monitor the presence and spread of FAW on maize and other crops.

The FAO has been working with the relevant authorities to initiate awareness programmes that inform and train farmers on integrated pest management techniques.

These include identifying natural enemies of the Fall Armyworm, enhancing natural biological controls and mechanical controls, such as crushing egg masses and employing the use of biopesticides.

The use of chemical pesticides needs to be very carefully considered, given that FAW larvae hide largely in the ring of leaves (whorl), and that chemical pesticides can have negative effects on environment and public health.

This is taken into consideration at policy and field level. With these measures put in place, the negative effects of infestations can be sustainably managed and can help to maintain populations low enough to limit economic and livelihood damage, the FAO said in a statement.

Warning of the immense economic and social costs of inaction, they said that better screening, treatments and public awareness were needed to reduce the more than 10 million cases recorded every year.

A chronic lung disease which is preventable and largely treatable if caught in time, tuberculosis is the top infectious killer of our time, causing over 1.6 million deaths each year.

"That is huge and the economic burden of that to both developing and developed nations is staggering," Eric Goosby, the United Nations' special envoy for the disease, told.

"It's not rocket science, it's really common sense. We need to initiate a new prevention strategy." Tuberculosis has existed for millenia and is latent in around a quarter of the world's population.

Despite killing nearly as many people each year as HIV/AIDS and malaria combined, there has not been a new, commercially available tuberculosis vaccine in a century.

The disease currently receives only around 10 percent of the research funding allocated for AIDS.

A team of experts from 13 nations, writing in The Lancet, said that funding for research and development would need to quadruple to around USD 3 billion per year if the disease is to be properly tackled.

In India alone, where one in three global tuberculosis deaths occur, providing better access to treatment and targeting at-risk communities for screening could cut deaths by nearly a third with an annually outlay of USD290 million.

That compares to the USD 32 billion each year in economic losses including treatment costs and lost productivity attributed to tuberculosis.

"The real key is that we are going to need much more new research and new tools," said Paula Fujiwara, scientific director at The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.

"Even if we use the tools we have today it's not going to be enough. The goal is to end tuberculosis but the current decline is only 1.5-2.0 percent a year," she told.

The Lancet study says that even if currently available treatments were given to 90 percent of tuberculosis sufferers, 800,000 people would still die given their inefficacy and the gaps in diagnosis.

A series of breakthroughs in recent months have provided some hope to patients. In October, a new treatment for drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis cured 80 percent of sufferers in Belarus.

The treatment has since been repeated in other high-incidence nations, with similar results. A month earlier drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline unveiled a study showing that a new vaccine was effective in 54 percent of trial participants.

In parallel, doctors say a new testing method could help reduce the 240,000 deaths of children under five that tuberculosis causes each year.

Goosby said trials needed to continue to drive a production line of new treatments against the disease. "The inevitability is that we will need new drugs as the disease evolves," he said.

"We should as a global health response anticipate and expect (drug) resistance and continue the work." The Lancet study said reducing tuberculosis deaths to less than 200,000 a year would cost around USD 10 billion annually.

Britain Prime Minister Theresa May has told the public she is "on their side", laying the blame for the delay to Brexit squarely with MPs.

Speaking from Downing Street, Britain prime minister said people were tired of infighting and political games and it was high time politicians made a decision on the next steps.

Earlier, She wrote to EU Council President Donald Tusk requesting to delay Brexit until 30 June.

Theresa May was forced to ask for a postponement after MPs twice rejected the withdrawal deal she has negotiated and also voted to reject a no-deal departure.

She said the delay was a "matter of great personal regret", but insisted she would not be willing to extend Brexit any further than 30 June - despite appeals from some MPs for a longer extension to give time for a change in direction.

Italian media reported on Wednesday, a 47-year-old school bus driver in Milan had asked teenagers onboard to get out of his vehicle before he set light to it in protest at the treatment of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Fire services arrived in force to put out the blaze. No one was injured but twelve teenagers were taken to hospital with intoxication, hospital sources said.

The bus driver, believed to be Senegalese with Italian citizenship, was arrested at the scene. Armed police patrolled the area.

Earlier in the day the Italian parliament blocked prosecutors from pursuing an investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini for abuse of power and kidnapping migrants.

Salvini, leader of the right-wing League party, has followed a "closed ports" crackdown on illegal immigration since he formed a ruling coalition last year with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement.

The court of Special SIT judge H C Vora convicted Yakub Pataliya based on submissions made earlier in the case by five other accused.Pataliya was arrested by the Godhra Police in January 2018, nearly 16 years after being booked in connection with the incident.

His trial was held at a special court set up at the Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad.

The blast in the India-Pakistan train took place near Panipat in Haryana on February 18, 2007, when it was on its way to Attari in Amritsar, the last station on the Indian side.

The blast had ripped apart two coaches of the cross-border train.

The Haryana police registered a case, but the probe was handed over to the National Investigation Agency in July 2010.

Of the eight, Swami Aseemanand, Lokesh Sharma, Kamal Chauhan and Rajinder Chaudhary appeared before the court and faced trial.Another accused Sunil Joshi was shot dead near his home in Madhya Pradesh's Dewas district in December 2007.

The three other accused -- Ramchandra Kalsangra, Sandeep Dange and Amit -- could not be arrested and were declared proclaimed offenders.

Before pronouncing the verdict, NIA special judge Jagdeep Singh dismissed the plea filed by a Pakistani woman for examining some eyewitnesses from her country.

The Code of Ethics has been developed as a follow up to the Tuesday's meeting with IAMAI and representatives of Social Media Platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Google, ShareChat and TikTok etc.

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora while appreciating the steps taken, said that formulation of the Code augurs a good beginning but is essentially, a work in making.

He said the Participants need to follow in letter and spirit the commitments made in the Code of Ethics.

The Platforms have committed to process any violations reported under Section 126 of RP Act, 1951 within three hours as per Sinha Committee recommendations.

The Platforms have also agreed to create a high priority dedicated reporting mechanism for the ECI and appoint dedicated teams during the period of General Elections for taking expeditious action on any reported violations.

Participants have also agreed to provide a mechanism for political advertisers to submit pre-certified advertisements issued by Media Certification and Monitoring Committee.

The Code of Ethics also promises to facilitate transparency in paid political advertisements.

IAMAI has agreed to coordinate with participants various steps mentioned in this code. Participants have also committed to voluntarily undertake voter awareness campaigns.

The ‘Code of Ethics” has been developed to ensure free, fair and ethical usage of Social Media Platforms to maintain the integrity of the electoral process for the General Elections 2019.

The Code voluntarily agreed upon by the Participants comes into operation with immediate effect.

The arrest came two days after a London court issued warrant against him in response to a request by the Enforcement Directorate for his extradition in a money laundering case.

Nirav Modi is the main accused in connection with the 13,500 crore rupees Punjab National Bank scam.

He was produced before the Westminster Magistrates' Court , where he contested his extradition to India.

District Judge Marie Mallon denied bail to Modi and remanded him in custody till the 29th of March.

Back home, the Government has reiterated its commitment to take action against economic offenders after Nirav Modi's apprehension.

On the other hand, officials said that the Enforcement Directorate will sell 173 paintings and 11 vehicles "beneficially owned" by Nirav Modi after it obtained permission from a special court in Mumbai on Wednesday.

The same court also issued a non-bailable warrant against his wife Ami after the ED recently filed a supplementary charge sheet underlining her role in the PNB scam.

The ED had registered a money laundering case against Nirav Modi and others on February 15, 2018 under the provisions of PMLA.

The Indian Navy was requested to provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) to the local population post-cyclone 'IDAI', which struck the Mozambique coast on 15th March.

INS Sujata, ICGS Sarathi and INS Shardul are providing necessary support to the local administration. Cyclone 'IDAI' made landfall at Beira, causing widespread damage and loss of human life in the Central and Northern provinces.

About 5000 personnel are also reportedly marooned at Buzi, near Port Beira requiring immediate evacuation.

The safe evacuation by the Indian Navy(IN) ships is being coordinated in consultation with local authorities. The disembarkation of HADR stores including food, medicines and clothing to the Mozambique Defence authorities has been completed.

Arrangements are in progress to disembark potable water.The Defence Minister of Mozambique also visited IN ships to oversee the relief efforts.

The helicopter from INS Shardul is operating from the local airport for recce and SAR. The boats, Landing Craft Assault and Gemini rubberised craft with divers would be used to render assistance for evacuation of marooned personnel.

The IN ships are likely to set up medical camps and provide food, water, blankets and other necessary relief items, as required by the local authorities.

Holi is also known as Fagu Purnima in Nepal. Revellers including young, old and children celebrating the festival by smearing colourful powders and throwing colours at each other.

In Tarai region Holi will be celebrated tomorrow. President Bidya Devi Bhandari, Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in separate messages, have extended their best wishes to all Nepalis at home and abroad on the occasion of the festival.

This one, dubbed PSR J0002+6216 (J0002 for short), sports a radio-emitting tail pointing directly toward the expanding debris of a recent supernova explosion, NASA said in a statement.

"Thanks to its narrow dart-like tail and a fortuitous viewing angle, we can trace this pulsar straight back to its birthplace" said Frank Schinzel, a scientist at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the US.

"Further study of this object will help us better understand how these explosions are able to 'kick' neutron stars to such high speed," said Schinzel.

Pulsar J0002 was discovered in 2017 by a citizen-science project called Einstein@Home, which uses time on the computers of volunteers to process Fermi gamma-ray data.

Thanks to computer processing time collectively exceeding 10,000 years, the project has identified 23 gamma-ray pulsars to date, NASA said.

Located about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia, J0002 spins 8.7 times a second, producing a pulse of gamma rays with each rotation.

The pulsar lies about 53 light-years from the centre of a supernova remnant called CTB 1.

Its rapid motion through interstellar gas results in shock waves that produce the tail of magnetic energy and accelerated particles detected at radio wavelengths using the VLA.

The tail extends 13 light-years and clearly points back to the centre of CTB 1. The team was able to measure how quickly and in what direction the pulsar is moving across our line of sight.

The result supports the idea that the pulsar was kicked into high speed by the supernova responsible for CTB 1, which occurred about 10,000 years ago.

J0002 is speeding through space five times faster than the average pulsar, and faster than 99 per cent of those with measured speeds. It will eventually escape our galaxy, researchers said.

At first, the supernova's expanding debris would have moved outward faster than J0002, but over thousands of years the shell's interaction with interstellar gas produced a drag that gradually slowed this motion.

Meanwhile, the pulsar, behaving more like a cannonball, steadily raced through the remnant, escaping it about 5,000 years after the explosion.

Exactly how the pulsar was accelerated to such high speed during the supernova explosion remains unclear, and further study of J0002 will help shed light on the process.

One possible mechanism involves instabilities in the collapsing star forming a region of dense, slow-moving matter that survives long enough to serve as a "gravitational tugboat," accelerating the nascent neutron star toward it.

In the vote of confidence, the BJP-led coalition government garnered the support of 20 MLAs which include 11 from BJP, three MLAs each from MGP and GFP and three independents.

15 MLAs including 14 from congress and one from NCP voted against the motion.

The support of at least 19 MLAs was required to pass the floor test in the 40-member assembly, the strength of which has been currently reduced to 36, following resignations of two MLAs and demise of two including former chief minister Manohar Parrikar.

Congress continues to be the main opposition in the assembly as well as the single largest party with 14 MLAs, while BJP has 12 legislators including the speaker.

GFP and MGP have three MLAs each in the house, which also includes three independents and one NCP legislator.

Pramod Sawant was sworn in as the new chief minister of Goa along with 11 ministers on Tuesday following the demise of Manohar Parrikar.

The one-day assembly session commenced with a motion of condolence, during which tributes were paid to former chief minister Manohar Parrikar, former deputy chief minister Francis D'Souza and former deputy speaker of the Goa legislative assembly Vishnu Wagh, who passed away recently.

The proceedings of the house were conducted by Deputy speaker Michael Lobo.

A new "checkout" button for instant purchasing launched in a beta version of the app in the US with a limited number of businesses, according to the popular image-centric messaging service.

"We're introducing Checkout on Instagram. When you find a product you love, you can now buy it without leaving the app.", the Silicon Valley based division of Facebook said in an online post.

Tapping the checkout button will allow shoppers to select options such as size or color and then pay for items without leaving the Instagram app.

Previously, people inspired to buy products featured in Instagram posts had to follow links to outside online shopping sites.

Information entered for an initial purchase will be stored for future use, according to Instagram.

It remained to be seen how people would feel trusting information such as credit card details to a service owned by Facebook, which has been hit with waves of criticism for its handling of personal data.

GST council approved a transition plan for new goods and services tax rates on residential properties under which developers of under-construction buildings may either opt to shift to the revised lower rates without input tax credit or stick to the previous rates.

Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey told media that for housing projects launched on or after the first of April this year, the developers will have to adhere to the new GST rates recommended by the council last month.

Developers can also opt for different GST options for separate buildings in a project depending on if construction started before or after 31st March this year. He added that there will be no revenue loss to the government due to the new GST structure for under-construction housing.

The next GST Council meeting will be held after the Lok Sabha elections. The Revenue Secretary informed that authorities will, however, seek permission of the Election Commission if the need arises for any meeting of the body.

After waiting anxiously for the results to appear on the big screen, the Indian flag finally soared high in the noisy hall at the Abu Dhabi as three paddlers won medals in the women's singles section. After registering three wins out of three, Anu Chennakota and Sabita Yadav bagged gold, while Reshma Shaikh claimed silver following a narrow loss to Sabita in the division final.

Meanwhile Sabita, who chose table tennis over badminton in 2015, defeated close friend Reshma in the final.

The journey to the gold medal hasn't been an easy one for the 18-year-old. Back in Goa, she would travel nearly for two hours on the bus every day to reach the practice hall in Panjim, train for hours and come back home to look after her family.

The everyday hustle was a hassle due to financial constraints. The Indian contingent underwent four preparatory camps in Gurgaon, Jodhpur, Haryana and Mumbai before competing in Abu Dhabi. These athletes trained four hours on a daily basis to get a grip of their game.

The men's team wasn't too far away, clinching two gold medals on Saturday. Akash Tukaram and Sandesh Krishna, who represented age group 18-21, topped their respective divisions to add to India's tally.

Talking to DD News on the sidelines of 1st India International Broadcast Conclave in Hyderabad, Prasar Bharati CEO said that the public broadcaster may launch a new co-branded channel in future.

Many new initiatives taken in DD News: Mayank Agrawal, DG DD NEWS

While, Director General of Doordarshan News, Mayank Agrawal said that DD NEWS has taken many new initiatives to improve its presentation. He also said that the channel has also introduced to Mobile Journalism which has led to timely updation of news with quality visuals. He also highlighted various other initiatives launched in DD News.

In a video blog, Arun Jaitley claimed that the economic performance of the NDA govt has been the best in the entire history since independence.

Jaitley said that NDA govt's performance on several parameters leave no room for any doubt that this govt's economic policies have been most productive.

Giving some details of economic development in India over the last five year Jaitley in his blog series, 'Agenda 2019 – Part-9 : The NDA Government's Economy Report Card vs.

It's Predecessors' wrote that Inflation during the period 2009-14 was 10% plus. During the period 2014-19, it will come down to an average of about 4.5%.

In fact, the last three years average is much lower. Presently it is close to 2.7 per cent.

He added that rural roads were built in 2013-14 at 69 km per day. It has increased to 134 km per day in 2017-18.

He added that Currently the Metro service operates in 14 cities and its length is 645 km. India's air traffic in the last four years has seen the largest ever growth.

Today we have 102 functional airports. We have moved towards near total rural electrification.

Jaitley said that various global agencies have already complimented the government for its efforts to stimulate economic growth. However, he added that, majority of so-called economists questioning validity of data are 'compulsive contrarians'.

-- Inflation during the period 2009-14 was 10% plus.
-- During the period 2014-19, it will come down to an average of about 4.5%. In fact, last three years average is much lower. Presently it is close to 2.7%

--- rural roads were built in 2013-14 at 69 km per day.

-- It has increased to 134 km per day in 2017-18

-- Currently, Metro service operates in 14 cities and its length is 645 km.

--- India's air traffic in the last four years has seen the largest ever growth.

-- we have 102 functional airports. We have moved towards near total rural electrification

PM MODI PRAISES FM ARUN JAITLEY’s VIDEO BLOG

Prime Minister Modi praised the video blog of Finance minister Arun Jaitley describing it...as a sharp and insightful piece which presents an accurate picture of the transformation in the last five years. He said it gives a befitting reply to the spreaders of fake news and narratives.

Poll related activities are peaking as Lok Sabha election dates inch closer..Tuesday saw the Election Commission issuing notification for Phase II of the general elections voting on the 18th of April..This also initiates the nomination process for all the seats in this phase..

LOK SABHA ELECTIONS 2019 - PHASE II

-- 97 Lok Sabha seats will poll in phase II in 13 states
-- Last date of nomination for this phase is the 26th of March
-- Scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on the 27th of this month and the last date of withdrawal is the 29th
-- Apart from all the 39 LS seats in Tamil Nadu..Phase II will see voting take place on 5 seats in Bihar, 2 in J&K, 8 in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in Karnataka, 10 in Maharashtra & 3 in West Bengal

Political activities have also begun to pick up pace..The BJP has hit back hard at the Congress and some other rivals for their criticism of the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' campaign saying only those who are out on bail along with their entire family have a problem with the clarion call.

The BJP leader also said that the 'Main Bhi Chowkidar' call has become a people's movement..He informed that the PM will directly connect with those who've become part of the campaign in 500 locations through video link on the 31st of March..On police action against some techies who raised slogans in favour of Prime Minister Modi outside a Rahul Gandhi campaigning event in Bengaluru..the BJP leader said the Congress President needs to learn more about the freedom of expression instead of giving advise to others..

Tuesday also saw the Congress President campaigning in the North East..Addressing a rally in Arunachal Pradesh..Rahul Gandhi said that if his party is voted to power..it will restore the special category status for all North East states..

Rahul's sister and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is campaigning in Uttar Pradesh these days..She connected with people in several areas of Bhadohi district on Tuesday..Monday night saw the Congress issue its 5th list of Lok Sabha candidates comprising 56 names.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal has also issued its list of 3 candidates as part of its alliance with the SP and BSP..Party President Ajit Singh will contest from Muzaffarnagar and his son Jayant Chaudhary will be in the fray from Baghpat.

Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav's party Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia also issued its list of 31 candidates on Tuesday..Shivpal will be contesting from Ferozabad..The Congress is still caught up in confabulations on the prospect of alliance in Bihar and Delhi.

It is yet to reach an agreement on seat sharing with RJD in Bihar..and remains devided on tying up with Aam Admi Party in Delhi..But AAP has now categorically ruled out any arrangement with the Congress in Delhi.

In West Bengal..the Congress has again failed to firm up its arrangement with the Left..The CPM has declared its list of candidates for 38 of 42 seats in West Bengal..leaving just 4 for the Congress where it won in the 2014 general elections..

In the South..AIADMK and DMK both released their manifestos on Tuesday..The AIADMK has promised 1,500 rupees a month to needy family as a proverty alleviation scheme named after J Jayalalithaa..the DMK has promised to revoke centralised medical entrance exam NEET and reservation in private sector jobs..

According to a communique issued by Rashtrapati Bhavan, Former Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) chief Archana Ramasundaram, ex-Maharashtra Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar Jain, Mahender Singh and Indrajeet Prasad Gautam have been appointed as non-judicial members of Lokpal.

Justices Dilip B Bhosale, Pradip Kumar Mohanty, Abhilasha Kumari and Ajay Kumar Tripathi have been appointed as judicial members in the anti-corruption ombudsman.

In the previous meeting on February 24, the Council slashed tax rates for under-construction flats to 5 per cent from 12 per cent and affordable homes to 1 per cent from 8 per cent, effective April 1...the council has agreed on providing a reasonable time to developers...The matter would be decided in a next few days in consultation with the states.

On apprehensions being raised on possible price rise due to new tax structure, the secretary said if prices escalate, the National Anti-profiteering Authority will look into it and take an appropriate action.

A residential house/flat of carpet area of up to 90 sqm in non-metropolitan cities/towns and 60 sqm in metropolitan cities having value up to Rs. 45 lakh (both for metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities) has been categorized as affordable housing.

This is the second meeting of the committee to finalise the list of candidates.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP President Amit Shah and other senior party leaders attended the meet.

Tuesday's meeting was scheduled on March 18 but postponed as a mark of respect to departed leader Manohar Parrikar.

The party is expected to finalise the first list of candidates for Lok Sabha elections for the first and second phases of polling.

The first phase for 91 seats is scheduled on 11th of April, and the seconf for 97 seats on the 18th April Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party president Amit Shah and other top BJP leaders will attend the meeting.

The election for 543 Lok Sabha seats are being conducted over seven phases till May 19. Counting of votes will take place on 23rd of May.

Inaugurating 3 day seminar Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri said that Sanskrit is a sacred common treasure of both the countries and it has remained lifeline to the civilization.

He said Sanskrit has played an important role in the development of society and well being of mankind.

In his address Chancellor of Nepal Acadamey Ganga Prasad Upreti said India and Nepal have deep rooted cultural and social relations and this seminar will help in further strengthening age old ties between the two countries.

The three day seminar is culmination of a month-long Festival of India in Nepal which is being organized by the Embassy of India and Ministry of Culture.

A panel of 10 world renowned Sanskrit scholars from India and 35 senior Sanskrit professors from various parts of Nepal will present their research papers on different topics including Sanskrit language, literature, Ayurveda and Yoga during the seminar.

More than 350 scholars from Sanskrit institutions across Nepal areexpected to attend the seminar.

Over 12 villages in Ladakh have built ice Stupas this year in various villages.With the technical and material support by the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives Ladakh (HIAL),village youths have enthusiasticly participated in building the ice Stupas.

To keep motivated, this yesr HIAL has organized a competition among the villages on ice Stupas.

Ramon Magsaysay and Rolex award winner Sonam Wangchuk said simple living in cities only would help and allow the ecology of mountains to just survive.

Global warming, ecological imbalance have caused irreparable damage oñ Himalayas, thus this awareness through the stamp release has been taken up, he said.

Ice Stupas is not any celebration but survival technique we in SECMOL have developed over a period, Wangchuk said.

Saving Winter water, that flows waste, in a cone shaped stupa which is not melted easily is the main idea behind it , he explains.

This stupa melts slowly and serves the purpose of drinking and irrigation, he said. In each ice Stupa atleast 30-50 lakh ltrs of water is saved.

This is apart from the naturally saved water in the slopes of mountains, Sonam Wangchuk said.

This was stated by PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani in Karachi on Monday. The PCB had filed a compensation case against the BCCI last year before the Committee for an amount of 70 million US dollars for not honouring an MoU signed between the two boards.

According to the MoU, India and Pakistan were supposed to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023, which the BCCI failed to honour.

The BCCI said they were unable to play against Pakistan as the Indian government did not give them permission. India also dismissed the Pakistan board's claims as legally binding.

Among the dignitaries present on the occasion were Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chiefs of the three armed forces.

Two Kirti Chakras and two Shaurya Chakras were given posthumously.

The President also conferred thirteen Param Vishisht Seva Medals, two Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and twenty-six Ati Vishisht Seva Medals to senior officers of the Armed Forces for distinguished service of an exceptional order.

Earlier on 14th of this month, the President conferred three Kirti Chakras and fifteen Shaurya Chakras to Armed Forces Personnel for displaying conspicuous gallantry, indomitable courage and extreme devotion to duty.

The National Security Advisor paid floral tributes to the martyrs of the force including the martyrs of the Pulwama attack at the memorial. No cultural programme was held today as a mark of respect to the Pulwama martyrs.

Ajit Doval also reviewed the parade and addressed the CRPF troops. He said that the country has not forgotten and will never forget Pulwama.

Further the National Security Advisor underlined the importance of maintaining internal peace in the nation.

Ajit Doval said that threat to internal peace often results in a larger threat to the nations sovereignity.

ED has been informed about the issuance of the warrant by the Westminster Magistrate Court against Nirav Modi and he is expected to be put under formal arrest by the local police soon.

Nirav Modi will be subsequently brought before the court to secure bail and the legal proceedings for his extradition will begin thereafter.

The ED and the CBI are investigating Modi, his uncle Mehul Choksi and others for alleged money laundering and corruption to perpetrate the alleged scam in the Brady House branch of the PNB in Mumbai that was unearthed last year.

Maldives Finance Minister Ibrahim Ameer told media that the agreement with EXIM Bank was signed in presence of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj two-day visit to Male which concluded on Monday.

He said the concessional loans will be used to provide water and sewerage services on several islands.

The LOC is part of 1.4 billion US dollars finance assistance announced by Indian government during President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s state visit in December.

The EXIM Bank loans come with a 1.75 percent interest rate and a 15-year repayment period after five years of moratorium.

The finance minister said detailed proposals for water and sewerage projects on 30 islands have been shared with the EXIM Bank.

Three other deals were signed during Sushma Swaraj’s first visit since the new government took office including agreement on exempting diplomatic and official passport holders from visa requirements, MOUs for collaboration on renewable energy and grant assistance for high impact community development projects through local bodies.

The external affairs minister also announced the Indian government’s decision to renew the quota for essential commodities, including river sand and stone aggregate for three years with effect on April 1.

Delivering inaugural address at 1st India international broadcasting conclave 2019 in Hyderabad on Monday, Surya Prakash said in the age of convergence the content can come from any platforms.

He said there is information revolution now and the new age revolution brought out a paradigm shift in broadcasting.

The annual growth rate of television viewers is 13.4 per cent which is higher than GDP. He also said India is 2nd largest internet user growing at the rate of 30 per cent. The Prasar Bharati chairman stressed the need to explore broadcasting policy as the new age platforms are gaining popularity in the country.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary Amit Khare said, besides technological challenges, Doordarshan has to face competition from private channels which are 875 in the country.

He said Prasar Bharati also faces a challenge to improve access and optimum utilization of spectrum.

91 parliamentary constituencies spread over 20 states and union territories will go to polls on 11th of next month.

The onset of the election process has , in fact, already kick started the political slugfest in the most crucial of all states - Uttar Pradesh. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi started her campaign from Prayagraj, she began her 'Ganga Yatra' on boat to reach out to voters.

She interacted with a cross section of people, including students, and invited some of them to join her on the motorboat as she undertook her much anticipated ride from the Manaiya Ghat in Kachnar tehsil of Prayagraj district.

The BJP has however claimed that her campaign will have no impact on the electoral scenario.

In 2014 General Elections, BJP led NDA had won 52 out of these 91 seats while Congress led UPA could secure victories on 9 seats only.

All the 175 seats of Andhra Pradesh Assembly, 28 out of total 147 seats of Odisha Assembly, all 32 constituencies in Sikkim and all 60 seats of Arunachal Pradesh assembly will go to polls on the same day.

97 constituencies spread over 13 States and Union Territories will go to polls in this phase on the 18th of April.

The last date for filing of nominations for this phase is 26th of March.The scrutiny will take place the next day, while March 29 is the last date for withdrawal of candidature.

All 39 Parliamentary constituencies of Tamil Nadu will go to polls in this phase.

The other States and Union Territories where voting will take place in this phase are Karnataka 14 seats, Maharashtra 10 seats, Uttar Pradesh 8, Assam, Bihar and Odisha 5 seats each, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal 3 each, Jammu and Kashmir 2, and Manipur, Tripura and Puducherry 1 seat each.